;)
The Commentariat -- Oct. 26, 2013
The President's Weekly Address:
... Sandhya Somashekhar & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "The Obama administration said Friday it will take until the end of November for the new federal health insurance Web site to be fully fixed, and that a private contracting firm would be managing the effort. Jeffrey Zients, the consultant brought in by the Obama administration this week to assess the problems plaguing the online health insurance marketplace, said in a conference call that his team had discovered dozens of problems but the site is 'fixable.'" ...
... Jonathan Chait: "... So basically the possibilities are:
1) They know what they're doing.
2) They have fooled themselves into thinking they know what they're doing, but don't....
3) A large meteor will destroy the world on or before November 30." ...
... Robert Pear & Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "The Obama administration said Friday that it would fix problems in the federal health insurance marketplace by Nov. 30, just two weeks before the deadline to sign up for coverage to replace health insurance policies being canceled because they do not meet new federal standards.... Such a condensed time frame raises the question of how hundreds of thousands of people whose current policies do not comply with the health law will obtain new coverage in time, and how millions who may qualify for subsidies will enroll. Some experts predicted a groundswell of demands from Congress and elsewhere to delay the deadlines." ...
... Gail Collins on the Healthcare.gov rollout. ...
... Digging the Hole Deeper. Jake Sherman of Politico: "The House Republican with direct oversight of Obamacare hinted that the GOP might, once again, vote to delay a critical component of the health care law. Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) hinted Friday that the House might vote to delay the sign-up date for Obamacare. The current enrollment period lasts through March." ...
... Please Don't Question My Talking Points. Igor Volsky of Think Progress: "On Friday morning, CNN anchor Carol Costello challenged Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) to substantiate her claim that HealthCare.gov will endanger Americans' medical privacy. The host pushed the Congresswoman to specify which medical details enrollees would have to turn over to the federal government, causing Blackburn to become visibly uncomfortable and unsure as she strung together various buzzwords about privacy... [Blackburn] suggested that they were in violation of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the law that guarantees 'federal protections for individually identifiable health information.' ... Deven McGraw, of the Health Privacy Project at the Center for Democracy & Technology..., said, 'It does not violate HIPAA -- it's not even covered by HIPAA.'” With video. ...
... What's amazing about Blackburn's false claims is that she made them after the "monkey court" speech during Thursday's hearing by Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NY), who helped write the ACA. Pallone completely destroyed the GOP talking point:
... Brian Beutler: "Because Obamacare makes preexisting conditions discrimination is a thing of the past, it effectively eliminates one of the most invasive aspects of applying for health insurance, and the risks the process once posed to your health information privacy. First-timers won't appreciate it, but for all of Healthcare.gov's problems, anyone who's ever applied for insurance on the individual market prior to Obamacare will marvel at its simplicity. It eliminates the most time-consuming, and often degrading, part of the process altogether." ...
... Steve Benen: "Republicans find themselves adrift with an unhelpful floatation device. They're not only attacking a health care law that's far more popular than they are, they're also relying heavily on a problem with a finite end." ...
... CW: The underlying problem is the Republican two-point agenda, which is their entire party platform: (a) Lower taxes on rich people & corporations (see Alan Pyke's piece below); (b) Oppose every government program that doesn't benefit military contractors. ...
... Scott Lemieux in Lawyers, Guns & Money: "I'm still amazed at the number of people who seem to think that we could have had a much better version of the ACA if it wasn't for [Harry] Reid's weak leadership. The correct answer, as seems even more obvious in retrospect, is that it's remarkable that Reid was able to get Bayh, Nelson, Lieberman, Landrieu et al. to vote for anything."
We're not sure we can chew gum, let alone walk and chew gum, so let's just chew gum for a while. -- Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), on why the House can't vote for immigration reform
... Eric Lipton & Ashley Parker of the New York Times: "With immigration re-emerging as the topic of focus in Washington, an unusual coalition of business executives, Republican Party activists and evangelical leaders will descend on Capitol Hill early next week to pressure House Republicans to pass their own legislation.... The debate threatens to create another schism in the Republican Party and to further alienate a major source of campaign contributions; several corporate executives interviewed this week said they were considering withholding donations from lawmakers who get in the way." ...
... Anna Palmer & Jake Sherman of Politico: "House Republican leadership has no plans to vote on any immigration reform legislation before the end the year. The House has just 19 days in session before the end of 2013, and there are a number of reasons why immigration reform is stalled this year.... Leadership also says skepticism of President Barack Obama within the House Republican Conference is at a high, and that's fueled a desire to stay out of a negotiating process with the Senate. Republicans fear getting jammed.... Other prominent immigration supporters like Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have also backed off any deal, saying the Obama administration has 'undermined' negotiations by not defunding his signature health care law. Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) went further, saying Obama is trying to 'destroy the Republican Party' and that GOP leaders would be 'crazy' to enter into talks with Obama." CW Translation: We can't vote for immigration reform because Obama won't defund ObamaCare. Also, he's mean. ...
... Ed Kilgore: "Hey, and those are the Republicans supporting immigration reform, including the senator most associated with the Senate bill that reform advocates are asking the House to take up. Just wait until the nativists weigh in."
Charles Blow has a good piece on the rich getting richer & the poor getting poorer -- as Congress prepares to cut food stamps. CW: What this should tell you is that the GOP is winning. ...
... Joshua Green of Bloomberg News: "Gene Sperling, director of the White House's National Economic Council, "dwelt at length -- and with some passion -- on the need for more stimulus, though he avoided using that dreaded word. He seemed to hint at a budget deal that would trade near-term 'investment' (the preferred euphemism for 'stimulus') for long-term entitlement reform. That would be an important shift and one that would certainly upset many Democrats." Green updates his piece with an update from White House spokesperson Amy Brundage: “Gene was reiterating what our position has been all along: that any big budget deal is going to have to include significant revenues if Republicans insist on entitlement reforms." CW: Gene Sperling can't leave soon enough for me. Another Stupid White House Trick -- making the needy pay forever for boosting the general economy today. The only upside I can see is that Democrats could some day change the "forever" part, while Republicans couldn't get back the stimulus they allowed now. This assumes that Republicans slink into oblivion. That can't happen soon enough, either. ...
... Paul Krugman on raising the Medicare eligibility age (see also yesterday's Commentariat): "... CBO has redone its analysis, and finds that raising the Medicare age would barely reduce federal spending.... Will people stop talking about raising the Medicare age? My prediction is that they won't -- because it wasn't really about saving money in the first place. Degrading the safety net and pushing people into more expensive private insurance weren't bugs, they were features. The usual suspects, I predict, will just keep pushing for the same thing, and dismiss the evidence."
Ted Cruz Pretends He's Not Getting a Big Tax Break. Dave Jamieson of the Huffington Post: "... a Cruz spokeswoman told the Times that the senator's Goldman [health insurance] plan 'comes at no cost to the taxpayer.' As with any family on employer-sponsored coverage, Heidi Nelson Cruz's health insurance essentially functions as untaxed income. Rather than pay her an additional $20,000 in salary, Goldman compensates her just as much through her health plan, which the Cruz family won't have to pay taxes on. Assuming the Cruz family falls into the highest tax bracket -- generally a safe assumption for a Goldman managing director -- ... the $20,000 Goldman plan amounts to about $8,000 in taxes that the general public won't see."
Leaders of the Two Major Political Parties Keynote Dueling Fundraisers
One of the things we accomplished in the fight over Obamacare is we elevated the national debate over what a disaster, what a train wreck, how much Obamacare is hurting millions of Americans across this country. -- Ted Cruz, at a Republican fundraiser in Des Moines, Iowa
... Thomas Beaumont & Catherine Lucey of the AP: " Texas Sen. Ted Cruz says this month's partial government shutdown and his key role in it were a success: They got people talking."
The shutdown was about more than just health care. It was about a contrast of visions, about what our obligations are to each other as fellow citizens. And we've got the better side of that argument. -- President Obama, Friday, at a fundraiser for House Democrats in New York City
... Josh Lederman of the AP: President "Obama launched a six-week burst of fundraising for Democrats with a pair of top-dollar events in New York. He told donors that the impasse, at its core, was 'a symptom of a larger challenge,' exposing how American politics, with its intense focus on ideology, have become detached from the problems ordinary Americans face." ...
... "At the Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) in Brooklyn, President Obama says that we must finish building a new foundation for shared and lasting prosperity so that everybody who works hard has a chance to get ahead." -- White House:
Another Tea Party Senator Screws Wall Street. Steve Leisman of CNBC: "Sen. Rand Paul is threatening to put a hold on the nomination of Janet Yellen to chair the Federal Reserve, a source close to the Kentucky Republican said Friday. Paul is insisting on a vote on his Fed transparency bill, and has informed Senate leadership of his intentions, the source said.... Paul intends to formally put the hold in place next week, once the Senate is back in session, the source added. Markets gave back some of their earlier gains on the report. [Emphasis added.] The senator's bill would mandate a complete audit of the Federal Reserve."
Ben Protess & Peter Eavis of the New York Times: The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which "helped forge a tentative $13 billion settlement with JPMorgan Chase, split off with its own deal on Friday, extracting a $4 billion payout from the nation's biggest bank.... That $4 billion was initially seen as a crucial element of the preliminary $13 billion settlement that JPMorgan reached last week.... The settlement with the housing regulator would help JPMorgan put one of its costliest cases behind it."
Alan Pyke of Think Progress: "Among companies listed on the S&P 500, almost one in nine paid an effective tax rate of zero percent - or even lower - over the past year, according to an analysis by USA Today."
If It's Bad (or Might Be Bad), Obama Did It. Jennifer Hlad of Stars & Stripes: "The story is sweeping the Internet: President Barack Obama is trying to emasculate male Marines by making them wear a girly cover with their famed dress uniforms. The only problem? It's not true.... 'The president in no way, shape or form directed the Marine Corps to change our uniform cover,' according to [a] Marine Corps statement. 'We are looking for a new cover for our female Marines for one overriding reason: The former manufacturer went out of business.... The Marine Corps has zero intention of changing the male cover.'" CW: Here's a typical story from one of the usual suspects -- the Washington Examiner: "Marines are decrying a new look President Obama has planned for their uniforms -- namely, a unisex-style cap that they say looks more French than American, more 'girly' than hard-charging." Don't wait around for a retraction & apology.
The Evolution of Wingers
I didn't vote for him, but he's my president and I hope he does a good job. -- John Wayne, 1960, on the election of John Kennedy
I hope he fails. -- Rush Limbaugh, 2009, on the election of Barack Obama
... CW: You might be interested in the article from which I took this citation: Chris Mooney interviews psychologist Jonathan Haidt about "the science of Tea Party wrath." I happen to think Haidt's theories run to ivory-tower naive, but some people like his stuff. If you read the piece, try to apply Haidt's theory to Don Yelton. That will at least help you understand why I think Haidt is full of mush. ...
... Tim Molloy of the Wrap: "Don Yelton, the North Carolina Republican who lost a county precinct chairman position after deriding 'lazy blacks' on 'The Daily Show,' isn't exactly backing down. Reached by TheWrap for comment on the situation, he used the N-word, said his county party was out to get him because of old grievances, and stood by his comment that 'lazy blacks' shouldn't decide elections. He said lazy college students and lazy whites shouldn't, either.... Yelton said Republicans had lost an opportunity to use his statements as proof that they are open to all views." CW: Oh, Don, the GOP is open to your views; you have to use code words, the way Newt does. ...
... Shopping While Black. Dareh Gregorian of the New York Daily News: "Robert Brown, star of the HBO show 'Treme,' says he was 'paraded' through Macy's Herald Square in handcuffs and detained for an hour after an employee called the cops on him, suspecting the credit card he used to make a purchase wasn't legit."
News Ledes
Reuters: "Marcia Wallace, the star of 'The Bob Newhart Show' and "'The Simpsons,' died Friday at the age of 70 from complications related to breast cancer...."
Share Article
Reader Comments (9)
CW: I've moved forward Diane's comment from late yesterday so you don't miss it:
As I was taking an afternoon stroll through various websites, I had a thought (no comments on the rarity of that occurrence). Most of the "up and comers" of the Republican Party, Tea wing or otherwise, are not Barack Obama and that pretty much fries them and/ or puzzles them no end.
Rubio has terminal dry mouth and his presence is more high school debater than Presidential. Although he waves the Cuban flag at every opportunity, the loyal Republican in him thinks minorities are lazy and looking for handouts. He stretches the facts in his own "story" when it suits. He's in awful conundrum right now because ..well...immigration. Damn that Obama. He's got a better personal story, he speaks with intelligence, charisma and presence, the history of African Americans in this country vs that of Cubans - not even close and the worst thing is that Rubio will never be President. Oh, I never seen Obama guzzle water like a camel preparing for a long desert trek.
Ted Cruz has greasy hair and a pronounced character disorder. He's loud and he tries to be a bully, which is hard if you're 5' nothin'. Nothing else to see, as I have been saying he will self destruct. The President is tall and doesn't have greasy hair. He also beat Cruz like a rented mule over the shutdown.
Chris Christie, catchy name by the way if you were in a boy band, is morbidly obese. Even with the purported lapband procedure or whatever (having a hard time believing he had surgery, it normally works pretty fast), he's still morbidly obese. In modern times, people don't like really fat Presidents. The "takin' care of business, tellin' it like it is " meme is not going to work forever. The translation is that he is loud and a bully. I have to say his Sandy Hook moves with Obama were good though. Actually, he doesn't articulate his beliefs, he shouts at people who say no to him. He seems to be still forming his beliefs and policy positions. The President is slim and elegant. He doesn't shout at people and for the most part is very articulate.
Rand Paul is a stoner, which to some folks is charming in an off center way. However, his racial animus won't fly. As Pierce is forever pointing out, at 5 min 1 second into any conversation butterfly nets are in order. Nuff said. Actually, I don't think he dislikes the President, good chance he is more likely to forget who it is. The media is trying way too hard to spin him as a serious contender. Its probably an inside joke for journalists.
Paul Ryan. The dumbbell, hat ass backwards picture makes me pee my pants every time I see it and will forever define Ryan. That vision of Gomer Pyle's twin just isn't presidential. His Ayn Rand fetish is spun as economic brilliance and he has demonstrated that he was absent when the PHD in smarts were handed out. He's a mean son-of-a-bitch, but he's a earnestly mean son-of-a-bitch. Again President is whip smart, elegant and presidential. The mom jeans slip has long been forgotten.
I guess if I were any of these asswipes, I'd hate Obama too. Charismatic, whip smart, elegant, poised, presidential, empathetic....
Diane
Diane: you left out one important thing about our president Obama: he is the quintessential self-made, up by the boot straps, Horatio Alger, type man.
@citizen625: I think Diane covers it in her comparison of Rubio & Obama.
Marie
"Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) went further, saying Obama is trying to 'destroy the Republican Party' and that GOP leaders would be 'crazy' to enter into talks with Obama."
GOP paranoia seems to be at an all time high, and for good reason considering their abysmal polling numbers across the charts. I ventured to Faux News the other day to see what the crise du jour was and I was surprised to see at the bottom of the page they actually have the favorability ratings of the Prez and the Congress. Whether the numbers were reliable I don't know, but the Congress got a whopping 8%. So even the wingers must know they're less appreciated than projectile vomiting (Even 10% of the time it can be a good thing, no?). Of course it's them damn Dems and that Obama who are the real reason their numbers are in the tank.
This paranoia is turning into a brain cancer chomping away on their own host bodies. At first I was perplexed in trying to understand this seemingly random fascination with zombies that overtook our films and tv shows the last few years. But now it makes sense. The directors foresaw the arrival of the mouth-foaming, brain-eating, incomprehensibly single-minded 'baggers. What incredible foresight!
Without an ability to think critically, these zombies zealously accept their marching orders from the pack leaders, and then spew their nonsense throughout the country, desperately looking for new brains to infect. Having left behind reason and logic, scapegoating has taken on new forms and Obama has garnered a mythical status within their ranks.
Obama's ability to smile in the face of the GOPs unrelenting intransigence grates the balls of the GOP and has slowly consumed their entire souls in blind hatred and bigotry. If Obama is trying to destroy the Republican party, he is one sneaky son a bitch. Just his presence suffices. The 'baggers will do the rest: self-destruction.
By all means, Mr. Labrador, go fetch the stick.
Thank you, safari, for clearing up the plethora of zombie, walking dead and vampire shows. Your explanation makes perfect sense.
And perfect sense is what's missing from the Haidt vision. What I wanted to say after reading the article is "Isn't it pretty to think so." Mush, indeed.
Here is an article published in the New Yorker in 2010 by Sean Wilentz and in my estimation one of the best pieces on the history of the Conservative Party and its evolution to what we now are contending with. He begins with Glen Beck, works backwards and brings us up to date as of 2010 which looks like 2013 except now we actually have the loonies in those leather chairs.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/18/101018fa_fact_wilentz
@Diane: Enjoyed very much your run-down of the presidential hopefuls only I noticed you gave Cruz only a scant paragraph and he is the big Cajone in this play of plays. He's been awfully busy touting his message–-yesterday in Iowa at the GOP Reagan get together where his presence drew loud cheers and claps. He's the one guy here that refuses to even consider working with those nice chaps from across the aisle or even those sane Republicans in his own party. He's our brilliant renegade ruffian whose followers look to him as their hero while he is deeply hated (and feared) by liberals and many in his own party. Greasy hair and all this man is out for bear and he bares watching closely while maneuvering ways to stop him before he does anymore real damage to this country.
Here is the URL to an obscenity laden scream from Russel Brand. I understand it has caught on with the younger anarchists in Canada as a curse on all your houses rant, an explanation why some young don't vote.
http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2013/10/russell-brand-on-revolution
@PD thank-you for your flattering words.
Cruz is burning bridges with a blow torch. He requires attention above all else. Cruz can only see himself as infallible and brilliant. As I have posited before, I believe he suffers from a Narcissistic Personality Disorder, he can't control the feelings of grandiosity. He can't survive as a presidential candidate, the character disorder is too severe. Cruz will self destruct.
Dangerously disturbed folks always attract a loyal following, albeit small, but I wager he will not make it through the 1st round of the primaries. His ridiculous behavior is tedious and I think even our pathetic media is starting to tire of him. He won't survive without copious amounts of attention.
For all who are weary of all the vitriol, make a cup or pour a glass and listen:
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2013/10/25/mpr_news_presents